Cotton cleaner



April 7, 1931. NC CK 1,799,556

COTTON CLEANER Filed Aug. 9. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 7, 19 w. L. HANCOCK COTTON CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9, 1929 a 0 m Z. ,m M W April 7, 1931- w. L. HANCQCK 1,799,556

COTTON CLEANER Filed Aug. 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 7, 1931 uni-ren stares;

. pzrenr .oEiFIicEP WILLIAM L. nAnoooK, or nALLAs, TEXAS, AssIeNon Tor nnun AY COMPANY, 01?

' DALLAS, TEXAS, a GORBORATIONOE TEXAS COTTQN CLEANER-i This inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in-cotton cleaners.

-One object of the invention -is to provide a structure wherein the :beater bearing boxes are hung iroinithe underside of the frame, together with a hinged bottom casing, section; whereby the bearing phones be more readily replaced and access had toth-e ibeaters and their ournals 'for'purposessuch as ado 'justing, repairing, cleaning-and the like.

A further obj ect of: the invention isto :provide a hingedzfront for the. casing for giving access and co-acting withthe hinged bottom to .perinitcleanin-g of the screens.

Another object :of thei-nvention is to provide a cleaner suspended at 'itsupper side,

thus permittingits bottom toibe' free from supports and easily removed;

Stills-nether object of the invention isto provide means for openingath-e boll-breaker for cleaning the same-andzto give access to the 7 parts thereof; I k constructionldesigned to carry out the invention will he hereinafter described to- 125 gether with other features of. the-invention.

The invention will: be more readily understood from zit reading of'the following "specificationand by re-ference to theaccompanv ing drawings in which anexample; of the; in-

vention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cleaner, Figure 2 isa side elevation of the cleaner, Figure?) is a verticalisectional viewaofathe cleaner with the side coverremove-d, I

Figure 4c is avertical sectional view show ing the screw conveyor,

Figure-5 1s a View showinga section of a drum with its spacedradial pins or spikes mountedthereon, V

Figure 6 is a seetionalend-view oi'thesaine, Figure?! is .a sectional view rot the-boll hreakingroller: and breaker bar,

Figure 8 .isan end view of the same,

Figure 9 is a'view showing a sectionofthe 5 feed'roller, A 1 1 Figure lOris anendvievwof the same, Figure 11 is a view showing a section of the guide bar and teeth,

Figure 12 is an end View of the same, Figure 13 is a plan View of the same, and

3 Figure l l isa detailof the concave screens.

Inthe drawings the numeral 10 designates an inclined channel iron frame hung from a beam 11 by bolts 12, :which beam is supported upon front legsltandlrear legs 13.: Abot- 'tOnROaSl-Ilg is mounted upon parallel wood supports which are disposed transversely at eaoh'sideof the casingasa whole: "The wood supports are swungwzfromaa rod-17 which dsjournaled. in-a' lower framelS.

Angle-ironhraces-IG are-mounted upon the casing 15. The bottom casingl15ywhen-released by latches 1 9and'the'braces 16 are unbolte'd iinom the'iower frame 18, will swing conveyor 21 journaled in the loweriraine' 18,

to whichis attached a drivepulleyQQL On top at :thelower (.endof the casi'ngis a bell breaker hopper 28 whichriconsists'of iapair of; teed rollers 24' mounted-on i's'hafts =61 and 62, which turnzzinward was indicated 1 rows and present the cotton in a compressed hat to a boll breaking roll'er25 mounted ona shaft 60, havingprojecting spikes or teeth 26..

' At one side of the breaker roller 25 is piv handle 32 mounted on the leg 14. The control. handle regulates the spacebetweenthe breaker .bar 27 and theroller 25. ,A' guide bar-83 having teeth 34 so arranged as to pass between the rteethy2 8; of the, breaker :bar 27, is situated-.- iminediately below the breaker 7 bar 27 and is mounted on a brace 36'of a frame 37.

A screen 38 made of sheet metal and punched with staggered perforations 39 is mounted on the frame 37 which also carries a bottom end casing 40. I The frame 39 is swung from a rod 41 in such a manner that it can be raised to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thereby allowing replacements, oiling, and cleaning of working parts.

A front casing 42 of a protruding portion 43 of the hopper 23 can be swung open by means of hinges 44, to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thereby allowing for replacements, cleaning and oiling of parts.

A series of drums 45 studded with longitudinal rows of radial pins or spikes 46 are mounted on shafts 47 which are journaled in bearings 48. Bearings 48 are spaced evenly and mounted on the underside of the channel iron frame 10. The perforated screen 38 is disposed transversely of the casing 15 and is supported by cross rails 49 which are secured to wood supports 50 of the casing 15.

" The screen is shaped concavely between the cross rails 49 is such a manner that the spikes of a drum will drag the cotton over the concave section of the screen and pass it onto the next concave section until it reaches a discharge spout 51, which is located at the top end of the bottom casing 15.

In the bottom of the hopper 20 is an outlet 52 to which asuction trunk 53 is attached by means of a latch 54. This suction trunk 53 is connected to an air blower 55 which discharges the dirtand trash, that has been re moved from the cotton, to any convenient location. On a drive shaft 56 of the air blower 55 is mounted a pulley 57 with a pulley belt 58 which is mounted at the other end to a pulley 59 attached to a shaft 60 on which the boll breaker roller 25 is mounted.

A pulley 63 mounted on a shaft 61 has a drive belt 64 which is mounted at the other end on a pulley 65 attachedto the most con venient drum shaft 47. The shaft 62 is driven by an attached gear 68 which is meshed with a pinion (not shown) that is mounted on the shaft 61. The shafts 47 are driven by a combination of belts 66 mounted on pulleys which areattached to the shafts. Deflectors 67 attached to casing braces 68. prevent the cotton from being thrown backward by the drums.

The operation is as follows:

The seed cotton with its accompanying foreign matter is received in the hopper 23 and is acted upon first by the feed rollers 24 turning inward, as indicated by arrows, which engage and compress the seed cotton into a bat and presents it to the teeth of the rapidly rotating boll breaker roller 25. The roller 25 co-acting with the breaker bar 26 hammers the bat and bolls, thus breaking without crushing. Any hard material likely to injure the teeth will swing the bar 27 downwardly and thus pass through without harming these parts. The cotton after passing the roller 25 slides down the screen 38 and is engaged by the first of the series of drums 45.

The cotton is then carried forward and upward by the drums 45 over the screens 38 and passed out through the discharge spout 51. The deflectors prevent the cotton being thrown backward by the drums. The foreign matter remaining in the cotton after it passes the roller 25 is extracted during the passage over the screens.

The dirt and trash after passing through the perforations 39 of the screens 38 will collect in the hopper 20 and will then be carried to the outlet 52, by the screw conveyor 21, from where it will be carried through the trunk 53 by air suction to a convenient dump.

Various changes'in the size and shape of the different parts, as well as modifications and alterations, may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

W hat I claim, is:

1. In a cotton cleaner, a front support, an upright supporting frame, inclined supports attached to the front support at their lower ends and extending through the upper portion of the supporting frame, elements depending from the top of the frame and attached to the inclined supports for suspendingthe latter, the inclined supports extending beyond the frame, cleaning drums journaled on the inclined supports, and a bottom screen member contiguous to the drums and hinged at the upper ends of the inclined supports so as to swing free of and in rear of the upright frame when opened.

2. In a cotton cleaner, an elevated inclined casing, a bottom hinged to the inclined casing and mounted to swing to a vertical position when released, a front closure for the casing mounted for pivotal movement, and a cleaning screen in the casing located to be entirely exposed from end to end when the bottom and the front closure are swung to their open positions.

3. In a cotton cleaner, an inclined casing, a front support for the lower end of the casing, a suspending frame for the casing considerably wider than said casing, means for suspending the casing within the frame, whereby substantial clearance spaces are provided between the frame and the casing on each side, journal bores mounted in the easing, cleaner drums carried by the boxes, and

a hinged bottom arranged to be swung clownwardly and away from the boxes and drums, whereby said drums may be lowered or raised from the casing and within the frame.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM L. HANCOCK. 

